


Love Lost to Fate

by Izlawake



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-05-15 21:16:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14798129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izlawake/pseuds/Izlawake
Summary: When Lucina traveled through time to save her world, she finds that things are not the same as before, but not only that, her childhood crush for Robin resurfaces, and now she must choose whether to give into these feelings again or focus on her mission while trying to regroup with the young shepherds, despite how much different the world and its past events are. Perhaps fate will not stop love this time…perhaps love can save their world this time…especially when her own children travel from their ruined world to help them.





	1. Beginnings

Love Lost to Fate

Chapter 1

He stood before Validar, his skin dark and his eyes burning bright. The two threw spells at each other, each avoiding the other’s attacks. Chrom rushed at the man in between attacks, swinging the great Falchion at him with little effect. “Robin, you got anything up your sleeve?” called the Exalt.

“I’ve got something, Chrom!” he answered as he flipped through his massive spell book. “Just hold him off!” Chrom made more swings at the dark sorcerer. Chrom sped towards Validar and rapidly attacked him while Robin prepped his spell. “Only got one shot at this,” he told himself as he mentally read the incantation. Chrom struck at Validar several times, with the final strike sending their foe off balance. “Thoron!” he shouted with a hand outstretched. Validar realized too late what his enemy was doing and he found himself struck by instant lightning, and while it was not powerful enough to kill him, it left him stunned on the spot. “NOW, CHROM!” Chrom dashed forward and pierced Validar with the Falchion, where he then fell to the ground dying. 

Chrom rushed to Robin’s side, who was on his hands and feet. “Robin, you alright?” 

“I’m fine! That spell took a lot out of me, is all,” Robin assured him.

“THIS ISN’T OVER!” screamed Validar, who rose up and threw a ball of magical energy at Chrom. Robin jumped to his feet and shoved his friend aside, taking the hit himself. He was thrown to the ground, where Chrom dashed over to him.

“I’m…I’m alright…” Robin moaned.

Chrom glanced over at Validar, who had fallen over again, now dead. “Well, that’s the last of him. Thanks to you, we carried the day. We can rest easy now.” Robin gave his friend a smile before a spark of pain rushed into his head, making him double over. “Hey, you alright?”

“At long last…” said a voice within Robin’s mind, but it was not his own. It was unfamiliar, yet inviting. Robin felt his vision grow muddled.

“What’s wrong, Robin? Hey, hang on––!?” Chrom grabbed at his friend before he suddenly lost his voice. Upon Robin’s face was the mark of Grima glowing red, and looking down, Chrom found his stomach pierced with a bolt of lightning and Robin’s hand was crackling with electricity. “This is not…your fault…” he choked. “You must…please…go…” With that, Chrom fell to the floor and ceased moving.

Robin slipped a smile and began laughing, but it was not his own voice he heard.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

“Always remember that you decide your fate, Robin…your future is never set in stone…” the woman told him. She was garbed in a Plegian cloak, and while he could not see her face, long silver hair draped down to her shoulders. She pulled him into a tight hug as she quietly wept, then she pushed him away.

“Mother…”

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

Robin’s eyes shot open with a gasp. The blue sky was adorned with white clouds hung over him and he found himself lying in the grass on the side of the road. Robin sat up with his hand to his head, which was throbbing with pain. “Where am…?” his voice trailed off when he saw his right hand, the back of which was adorned with a strange mark. “A tattoo?” he wondered. It appeared in the form of a set of slanted purple eyes arranged into columns of three, all six connected with purple lines forming a large “V” shape before ending in an intertwined tail. 

Robin groaned as he rose to his feet and surveyed his surroundings, running his hand through his silver hair. In the distance on his left was the towers of a nearby town named Southtown. He checked his person: aside from his outlandish clothes and the heavy black coat that hung on him, he had little apart from an iron sword on his left hip and a massive book secured in a carrying case on his right, as well as a pair of black gloves in his coat’s chest pocket. He chose to slip these on to hide the strange mark on his hand, then set off for the town as he threw the massive hood over his head.

It did not take long for Robin to reach the cozy town, where he stumbled into the nearby tavern and ordered a plate of meat and cheese and some ale, which he paid for from a pouch of coins on his belt.

“You a traveler? I ain’t ever seen you around here before, and your clothes aren’t Ylissean, that’s for sure,” grumbled the bartender from behind the counter.

“I, um…” Robin started. “…Just traveling around, seeing the world. Name’s Robin, by the way.” He offered his hand out, but the bartender did not take it, so he lower it in response. Might as well go with that story… Robin thought before returning to his meal.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

“Can’t we stop at Southtown for a bite to eat or something? I’m tired of whatever Frederick hunts down!” Princess Lissa whined. “Seriously, all this roaming and hunting down bandits isn’t good for me!”

“And to think you would always claim to be a tough princess who wasn’t delicate,” her brother Chrom teased. “If you weren’t so delicate, you wouldn’t need such things.”

Lissa stomped in place. “HEY! I AM NOT DELICATE!” Behind her, Frederick lead his horse, Jagen, by the reins.

“CHROM! SOUTHTOWN IS ON FIRE!” Frederick suddenly shouted, turning everyone’s attention to the town’s direction, where pillars of black smoke rose into the air. “Milord, climb upon my steed and we’ll reach Southtown quicker!” Frederick advised as he climbed onto his saddle. Chrom raced to his knight and hoisted himself up and behind his back.

“What about me!?” Lissa cried when Frederick gave the reins a hard snap. Her question was answered when Frederick snatched her up as they passed, scooping her under his arm as the mighty horse Jagen raced off.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

The attack came out of nowhere. Robin was only halfway through his meal when three bandits smashed themselves into the tavern and began shaking everyone down, taking their money and attacking anyone that resisted. Robin quickly jumped to his feet with his spell book in hand, as if on instinct. He flipped through the pages and came to a series of lightning spells, where he read one incantation and a fury of lightning sparks danced from his hand, striking down two of the bandits instantly. The remaining one charged at Robin with an axe, bringing it down onto him, but he managed to side step it, where he grabbed a plate off a table and smashed it into the bandit’s face, making him cry in pain, where Robin gave him a hard and untrained kick, sending him rolling into the bart counter. Just as the bandit got to his feet, the bartender smashed a bottle of mead into his skull, knocking him out entirely. “Thanks for that!” Robin added before dashing out the doors, where he found the town under attack by roving bandits, with citizens running about and several buildings on fire. 

Robin himself debated running away for his own safety, but then he spotted someone two streets across, a blue-haired swordsman clad in blue, someone he quickly recognized. “Chrom!” Robin called, but over the ensuing attack, the Exalt could not hear the mage.Robin sped off towards Chrom, but he was stopped when Frederick blocked his path. “Ah, a Plegian mage thought he could attack my lord, does he?” he remarked, twirling his lance in hand. “Wait…I’m…” Robin started, holding up his massive spell book like a shield.

“Silence, cur!” With that, Frederick lunged forward, which Robin avoided by a mere nick. The silver-haired mage fell and rolled under Frederick’s steed, where he scrambled to his feet and took off with Frederick behind him. Robin ducked into an alley, but soon found it to be a dead end. Frederick dismounted his horse and drew a mighty greatsword. “I’d suggest you pick a god and pray, Plegian scum.”

Robin swallowed hard and flipped through his spell book again, where he stopped upon a page depicting a crude scribble of a figure leaping high into the air using a wind incantation marked down. ‘I hope this works…’ Robin muttered the incantation under his breath and jumped into the air, where he threw the wind spell underneath himself, propelling himself high into the air. From there, Robin latched himself onto the building roof and got to his feet. He peered down at Frederick, who appeared unamused.

“Fascinating…” the knight mumbled before returning to his steed. Robin took off across the rooftops, hoping to get as far away from Frederick as possible, that is, until he reached the end of the street, but he spotted Chrom a short distance away.

Down below, Lissa was cornered against a wall swinging her healing staff at a large bandit, who snatched it out of her hand. “Ready to die, girly, or maybe ya can tag along and be our servant girl, if ya wanna live?” he teased.

“Like Hell I will!” Lissa growled, ready to knock his lights out. The bandit scoffed and raised his iron mace to strike.  
“INCOMING!” came a voice above, to which Robin fell out of the sky, landing directly onto the bandit and knocking him out cold. Lissa stared in disbelief as the mage stood up and faced her, but he did nothing to harm her, despite his Plegian garb. “Sorry about that, hope you’re alright.” Robin ran off.

At that point, the bandit came to. “The Hell just happened?” he groaned. Lissa let out an “eep!” and scooped up the bandit’s iron mace, and with a “Ragghh!”, she smacked him in the skull with it, sending him careening into a few barrels, knocking him out again. Lissa marveled upon her newfound weapon. “Let’s see how delicate I’ll be with this!” she smirked.

At his spot, Chrom had just cut down two bandits on his own with two ruffian mages nearby, who had spells ready to cut down the young Exalt until two balls of fire fell onto them and engulfed them in screaming flames. Chrom looked behind and saw Robin approached with his spell book in hand and a ball of fire in the other. “I’m here to help, Chrom!” he declared.  
Chrom eyed the mage up and down, noting his Plegian garb. “You don’t seem to be allied with these bandits, so who are you? Did Emmeryn send you?”

Robin did not know who this Emmeryn was, nor did he felt like he should lie. “No, I was stopping here to rest when these guys attacked the town.” ‘If only I knew where I was going before I woke up.’ 

“Well, I could use the extra help here, especially someone talented with magic.” Both men took positions against the bandit leader and the last of his forces, with Robin firing off spells at faraway targets while Chrom fought off any that got close. By the time the pair killed the leader, Frederick and Lissa regrouped with them, of which Frederick was quick to put himself between Chrom and Robin.“Stay back, milord! This man is a Plegian!” Frederick warned, his spear pointed for the silver-haired mage.

“Frederick, stand down. This man means us no harm,” Chrom ordered.

“Yeah! He saved me from a bandit a while ago!” Lissa interjected, her hand resting on her mace. She gave Robin a little wave, which he returned.

“Then why is he dressed like one of Plegia’s mages?” argued Frederick, his hand still tightened around his lance.

“Tell me, who are you, stranger?” Robin asked, stepping forward to meet Robin.

“My name is Robin, Chrom.” 

“Robin, huh? That doesn’t seem like a common name around here…and you’re dressed like a Plegian too…” Chrom rubbed his chin.

‘These bandits hailed from the eastern desert kingdom, so does that mean I do too? But I look nothing like them!’ Robin wondered.

“He doesn’t look like a Plegian, I mean, his skin is white like ours and he’s got silver hair!” chirped Lissa.  
“Doesn’t mean he might not be a Plegian though,” Chrom added. “Tell me, Robin, what brought you to Southtown anyway?”  
Should I just tell him the truth? “Um…I really don’t know…See, what happened was…” He began recounting himself back to when he woke up in the field and how he came to Southtown, but he omitted the mark on his hand, not wanting to worry them about that. “…And personally, all I know is my own name, that I can wield swords and magic, and your name as well.”

“Milord, if I may interject, I fear this man could be a Plegian spy! I mean, what kind of story is that, waking up in a field with no recollection but his name and yours? I sense a trap!” Frederick hastily explained. Chrom held up a hand to silence his knight.

“This is a rather odd series of events, no doubt, but I feel…something different about you, Robin. Whether you are telling the truth about your memories or if you are Plegian or not, I do not yet know, however, you performed admirably in protecting Southtown with us, and for that, you have earned my gratitude.”

“Mine too! Thanks for saving my butt back there!” went Lissa.

“Oh? You saved my sister too? Well, allow me to express my gratitude for that as well.” Chrom offered his hand, which Robin took with a smile. “Now, as thanks, I would like to offer you the chance to accompany us back to Ylisstol, our home city, if you have nowhere else to go, that is.” Frederick stepped forward to interject again, but Chrom held up his hand to silence him once more.“Chrom, I would be honored. Thank you.”

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

The gang all stopped for the night on the side of the road, where Frederick hunted down a bear to cook on the campfire, of which Robin and Chrom gathered firewood. Robin himself was quick to fall asleep, but the other three remained awake. 

“Chrom, do you really trust Robin’s word?” Lissa asked of him.

“Not all of it, but at the same time, I recognize that he is all alone and doesn’t know where he is or even what to do, and I won’t abandon anyone like that,” he answered.  
“That sounds like you, alright,” she giggled.

“Regardless, if he tries anything, I will run him through my spear,” Frederick remarked, himself standing watch for any would-be attackers.

“How long do you think he’ll act like this towards Robin?” Lissa huffed.

“Hopefully after Robin gets to meet Emmeryn; she always knows when someone is trustworthy or hiding a secret. If Em trusts Robin, then Frederick should roll around sometime soon.”

On his bed spot, Robin himself was actually awake, but he made no attempt to move or give any indication to the others. He overheard the conversation, and as he laid upon the ground, his left hand rubbed against his right where the strange mark was. ‘Is this mark like the one on Chrom’s shoulder? Chrom is a lord, no doubt about it, so could these symbols on our skin be a sign of royalty? Am I a lord or noble like him?’ Robin took in a deep breath and tried to relax. ‘Perhaps this Emmeryn can shed some light on all of this…I hope…’

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

Over in the walled halidom of Ylisstol, the red knight Sully was sitting atop the roof of their barracks dressed in her scarlet red armor eating a sandwich. “Ugh…I hate these slow nights with nothing to do…” she grumbled to herself before tearing a bite out of her sandwich. “…The barracks are all tidy and clean, the troops have all gone home, and I’m stuck waiting for Lord Chrom to return…” She let out a sigh and gazed out into the southern forests where Chrom supposedly was.  
Suddenly, the entire earth rumbled, making Sully lose her balance and drop her sandwich, which tumbled over the edge and down to the ground, making her curse, but she suddenly lost her voice when she saw something appear in the skies above the southern forests: a gleaming, glowing gate of magical properties. She stared in disbelief as she saw strange figures fall from the gate and down to the earth. “What the…CHROM!” she snapped, dashing down to ground level. “Ready my horse!” she called to the surrounding squires, who scrambled to the nearby stables while Sully hastily strapped a steel sword to her hip and a steel lance to her backside. She ran out to meet the squire who retrieved her horse. “Open the gates and gather as many troops ready to defend it!” she ordered him, who nodded and ran off.

Sully turned to her steed and brushed his chin. “Cain buddy, you’ve rested long enough, but right now, you’re going to have to ride hard, cuz we gotta find Chrom. I’ve got a really bad feeling about this, you get me?” she told her steed, who neighed in response. “Atta boy, let’s go!” She climbed atop and sped out the gates, heading south. She kicked her reins so hard, making Cain speed up, that she did not even notice the silverly blue-haired archer that crossed her path, who watched her go.

“My my, isn’t she a lovely sight for sore eyes,” he would remark before switching directions and following after Sully.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

“Is everyone ready?” Lucina called to everyone. All her friends stood before the Outrealm gate with their weapons and gear ready, knowing what awaited them on the other side. “No matter what happens, we must not allow Grima to destroy our world again! Even if we lose our lives in the process, it will be worth it to undo the death and destruction he has created!” Everyone cheered, their weapons raised in the air.

“Enter the gate, young Shepherds…” came the voice of Naga. 

Taking a deep breath, Lucina and the young Shepherds all rushed into the gate, where they suddenly found themselves falling through open space, the distortion and boundaries of the gate around them. Everyone tumbled and was tossed around like rag dolls in the swirling vortex. “EVERYONE, HOLD ON!” Lucina yelled, unsure if they could even hear her.

Suddenly, the walls of the vortex crackled with sparks and sent everyone tumbling again. Lucina twisted herself around and her eyes widened in horror; an army of Grima’s Risen were directly behind them! “RISEN!” she called, but then a figure clad in black smoke zipped past her, letting out a triumphant laugh. Grima. Lucina drew her Falchion and took a swipe at him, but he avoided her strike. “Time to die, little princess!” Grima hissed before unleashing his dark magic onto the vortex, forcing sparks through it once more. Everything quivered like an earthquake was taking place, and suddenly, Lucina heard someone scream.

She turned and saw Laurent tumble through a separate path in the vortex, disappearing from view. “LAURENT!” she cried. Then, Severa disappeared through another, her voice yelling out for the princess. 

“NO! THIS CANNOT HAPPEN!” groaned Owain, who fell through another tunnel, and Lucina watched her cousin disappear. One by one, each of the young Shepherds were forced through different tunnels and separated from Lucina, but there were two that remained; two that she could not make out nor did she remember entering the gate with her.

They were both dressed in black and had blue hair, one had a sword on his hip while the other carried a large spell book in her hands. Lucina could not make out their faces, but the spell book one reached out her hand toward her, but the two were quickly taken by another tunnel and disappeared, with Lucina the only one remaining with Grima and the Risen. 

“Ready to die, Lucina?” Grima asked playfully. He readied a ball of dark magic and threw it upon her, but she cleaved it into two with her sword. “Hmm…seems you don’t wish to die yet. Very well…” He suddenly flew in directly in front of her, gripping her by her tunic. Even with the distanced closed in, she could not make out his appearance through the black shadows and smoke that enshrouded him. “…I shall kill you after you lose everyone you care about again! Your father, your mother, your aunt, your siblings, your people, the world, and even the man you love!” he hissed with a grin while Lucina could only stare in horror. 

“Now…disappear!” He released her, where she fell through a separate tunnel with some Risen following after her.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

At their makeshift camp grounds, Chrom, Lissa, Frederick, and Robin all felt the sudden earthquake closer than Sully did, making them all jump to their feet. “The hell is going on?!” Chrom cried as the ground continued thundering and shaking. Everyone ran as the earth cracked and split apart. Chrom threw Lissa over his shoulder and took off into the forest while Frederick and Robin dashed into another part by themselves.

Up above, the sky cracked open and a magical gate appeared in the sky. Everyone watched as dozens of strange bodies fell from it down to the earth. Chrom and Lissa were near the strange gate, and so they were the first to see these strange bodies, which appeared like any ordinary man, clad in armor and weapons in hands, but their skin and armor were all a pale purple, and their eyes glowed with an eerie red light. One of the creatures opened its mouth with a low rasp, but so did black fog, which dribbled out of its mouth and evaporated into nothing.

“By the Gods…” Chrom mumbled out as he drew his Falchion. One of the creatures bearing an axe locked eyes with Chrom and with a gurgling growl, it ran for him. “Lissa, run! RUN!” Lissa took off while Chrom held the thing off. It leapt for him, but he ducked under it and slashed his sword across its chest. Chrom expected the creature to fall, but he was shocked to see it still standing. He watched as it twisted its head around as if it were an owl, then it righted itself and dove for him again, this time, Chrom cut at its legs, sending it down to the ground, then he plunged his blade through its chest, where it gave a cry and disintegrated into black smoke. “…The Hell…?”

There was a cry, and Chrom turned to see Lissa cornered against a tree by another axe creature. She let out a scream as she smacked her mace against the beast’s chest, but it did little to faze it before it knocked the weapon out of her hands. She drew her staff, holding it up as if it would protect her as the beast readied to strike her down. “LISSA!”

At that moment, with the gate still opened, one last figure emerged, but this one was different from the others. This one was garbed in blue clothes, a sword at his belt, and a blue butterfly-shaped mask hiding his face. The figure sped out of the gate and leapt upon the earth near Lissa. The figure drew his sword and stopped the axe of the creature from striking the young princess. Lissa gazed in awe at the swordsman before her, who hovered close, holding back the enemy’s axe. With her newfound rescuer so close, Lissa spotted something strange: the figure’s sword appeared to be an exact replica of Chrom’s Falchion blade!

“Help me!” the swordsman cried to Chrom. Chrom snapped out of his daze and rushed to their aid, where he cut down the creature with one well-aimed strike, which turned to black smoke like the others. “Thanks.” The swordsman sheathed his blade.

“You fight well with a blade. Mind if I ask your name?” Chrom politely asked of him.

The swordsman said nothing, but even if he wanted to, time was cut short as more creatures emerged from within the trees. Robin and Frederick soon regrouped with them, as did Sully and the gentleman archer soon after. “Captain Chrom, I saw that…thing and came as soon as possible!” Sully hastily explained.

“Fair maiden, do not trouble yourself with such manners of war! A beauty such as yourself should only be concerned with the efforts of love!” mewed the gentleman, making Sully groan in response.

“Look, buddy, I don’t know who you are, but you keep playing this damn joke with me, and you’ll find the punchline to be my foot in your face!”

“Milady, do not play such games with moi, for I, the great Virion, shall follow you to the end of the world!” the gentleman proclaimed. “Fine, whatever, just be sure to pull your weight here!” Sully took off with Virion following after her.

The Shepherds found themselves in a tough spot, given how these newfound foes would not fall like any ordinary enemy, but the mysterious swordsman himself proved to be versatile against their foes, as if he has fought them before. It was not long before the last of the strange creatures was vanquished and everyone regrouped.

The swordsman stood before everyone, but he said nothing, the butterfly mask staring back at everyone. “Hey, um, thanks for rescuing me back there,” said Lissa.

The swordsman was silent. “I owe you my gratitude for rescuing my sister, but may I ask you for your name?” Chrom asked.

“My name is Marth,” the swordsman said in a low voice.

“Like the Hero King of legend…” 

“This is only but the start. The world is teetering at the brink of a horrible calamity, and the appearance of the Risen tonight is but a prelude of it.” Marth finished before walking off, where he disappeared into the forest. Everyone watched him until his blue figure was engulfed by the darkness.

“He is an odd one, wasn’t he, though fancy with a blade,” Chrom remarked.

“Not much for conversation either, but what did you think he meant? And he called those…things Risen…whatever that means…” Robin added.

“I imagine we will see him again, given his level of skill, but I’m more worried about the capital,” Frederick noted. With that, everyone headed for the capital of Ylisstol.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

Lucina did not relax until she was out of view of her father and his company, where she hid herself behind a thick tree and watch them leave for Ylisstol. When they were finally gone, she fell to her knees and began to cry, removing her butterfly mask to wipe her tears. ‘Father…Aunt Lissa…Robin…you’re all okay. At least I made it in time to save you…’

I was but six years old at the time, running through the castle at Ylisstol while giggling to myself. I soon found her father, who caught me and hoisted me up into the air. “Hello, Lucina!” he smiled.

“Daddy, do you know where Robin is? I wanna see him!” I chirped.

“Hmm…I think he’s in the courtyard in his usual spot, probably studying his magic tomes, as usual.” Chrom set me down and sent me off, where I dashed off to the courtyard, plagued by a land of greenery and flowers, and I soon found Robin leaning against a mighty tree with his cloak’s hood over his face and an open book in his lap.

“ROBIN!” I cheered, jumping into his lap, making him cry out a load of gibberish, making it clear that he was asleep and that I had knocked the wind out of him. “Hello, Robin!” Robin was quick to smile when he saw who had awakened him.

“Hello, Lucina.” He gave me a big hug, making me laugh. “I suppose you want me to read you something from my spell book again?”

“Yeah! I wanna see how magic works! I wanna learn magic!”

Robin chuckled. “Not everyone can learn magic, though. Some are born with the talent while others can take years to learn it, keep that in mind.” I remember giving him a disappointed face, which upset him in return. “Well, another means is inheritance, and since your mother dabbles in magic, so it could be possible that you inherited some magical abilities from her and thus be a little easier for you to learn magic.”

“So long as I have you, Robin, I know it’ll be easy to learn magic!”

He smiled and patted me head. “I think your father would want you to learn how to swing a sword first and foremost, but tell you what, when you’re a little bit older, after you’ve learned to swing a sword around, I’ll get serious and teach you magic, okay?”

I gave him a big hug, expressing my thanks repeatedly.

Lucina let slip a smile as she basked in that old memory. Suddenly, all that has happened seemed to pale in comparison to being reunited with her father, her aunt, and the man she loved.


	2. The Feroxi Tournament

Chapter 2

Chrom and his company arrived in the capital city of Ylisstol in the morning, just in time for the streets to be crowded with the city’s people, all exchanging items and wares for coin, socializing with one another, and enjoying life. “I must say, I’m surprised that those creatures did not come near the city, even with how close they were,” Frederick remarked as they moved past the people, whom parted an open way forward for Chrom upon recognizing him.

“I’m still thinking about what Marth said, about the appearance of those Risen things being only the start to things yet to come,” noted Robin, who glanced at all the passing citizens and shops as they walked.

Chrom slapped his hand onto the mage’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m going to go to the Ylissean council and the Exalt today to address this Risen issue and seek a solution.” They strolled on towards the castle that stood overlooking the city. 

“Look, it’s the Exalt!” called a nearby citizen, where everyone turned towards the center square, where the Exalt, Emmeryn, walked among the people with her group of guards, who remained vigilant even as she smiled and greeted everyone she passed. 

Robin drew in a deep breath upon seeing her. ‘She’s beautiful…’ “Chrom, should the Exalt simply walk around the city like that? What if someone tries to hurt her?”

“The Exalt makes it her mission to put herself on a level with her people rather than always standing higher than them,” Frederick explained. “By mingling with the common folk, they see that she cares for each and every one of them, thus strengthening Ylisse as a whole. When the people see Lady Emmeryn, they not only see their ruler, but a friend.”

“Fascinating.”

“Yeah, our sis is pretty amazing, isn’t she?” Lissa added, giving him a soft punch in the arm.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get to meet her soon. I’m going to have a meeting with Emmeryn and the Ylissean council to discuss what we should do about this new Risen threat, and I imagine she will be interested in meeting you, Robin.” Chrom lead the Shepherds over towards his sister, where she stopped to greet them.

“Chrom, I’m glad to see you have returned safely, and it seems you have a couple new additions to your Shepherds,” said Emmeryn. Virion introduced him with a bow and a kiss to the Exalt’s hand, making her giggle, but it was Robin she was most curious about.

“Milady, if I may, this man claims to have no memory of who he is, name aside, what his motives are, or his place of origin, yet he knows of Lord Chrom and he is garbed like a Plegian,” Frederick warned her. 

Emmeryn nodded to the knight and took a step closer to Robin, looking him up and down. “Robin, you really have no recollection of yourself?”

Robin shrugged. “I really don’t. All I know for sure is my name and that I’m good with a sword and spells.”

She closed her eyes and let out a long hum. “Well, I would like to learn more about you, if possible, so if we can speak privately in my chambers sometime later today, I would appreciate it.” 

“Milady, you cannot be serious!” exclaimed Frederick. “How can you trust this man so easily as to be alone in the same room as him?!”

“Chrom, do you trust Robin?”

Chrom nodded. “I do, even if his story seems outlandish.”

“Then until I privately speak with him myself, I shall trust him until then.”

“Em, we need to talk as well. There’s a new threat on the rise and we need to discuss ways to deal with it,” Chrom interjected. 

“How large of a threat?”

“Possibly one that will threaten all of Ylisse and the surrounding nations.”

Everyone was silent as Emmeryn processed Chrom’s words. “Damn, and right when we’re in the middle of the conflict with Plegia…” Everyone followed her back to the castle, where Chrom, Emmeryn, and Frederick went to meet with the Ylissean council while Lissa and the others took Robin to their barracks to meet the rest of the Shepherds. There, he got to meet everyone and learn a little about themselves, from Stahl the always-hungry knight, the studious mage Miriel, the wisecracking Vaike, the clumsy Sumia, and the noblewoman Maribelle. Over in a corner, a young man named Kellam sat alone in bulky armor, though it seemed as though no one else would take note of him, almost as if he was invisible. When Kellam noticed Robin staring at him, he pointed at himself as if to say “You can see me?”

“So, Robin will be joining us once Em has had a chance to speak with him!” Lissa notified everyone. “He’s pretty cool, ya know. He’s a master of swords and sorcery, he saved my life, and he helped me get this cool mace for myself!” She hoisted up her stolen iron mace to show everyone, though Maribelle disapproved of her dear friend wielding weapons.

A couple hours passed and after Robin had mingled and chatted with everyone well enough, Chrom and Frederick came back to notify Robin to go meet Emmeryn, of whom the latter escorted Robin to while Chrom stayed behind.

“Everyone, with this new Risen threat, Emmeryn and the council has decided to seek aid from our northern neighbors of Ferox for extra soldiers to combat this new threat while Emmeryn continues to attempt peace talks with Plegia,” Chrom explained.

“I fear that diplomacy with Plegia is but a fantasy at this point, not while Gangrel still rules,” Miriel said as she sat reading her massive book. 

“Let us have faith in Emmeryn. I believe that she will resolve the conflict and end this war,” went Chrom.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

Robin was escorted through the castle to Emmeryn’s private chambers, where he was shown in. Inside, he was met with high-class decoration and furniture that was beyond anything he has ever seen. Emmeryn stood by her fireplace, still dressed in the same royal, ornate clothes she wore on the streets. She turned to face him while he stood at the door. “Please, sit down, relax a little,” she told him with a voice that invoked calmness in him. Robin swallowed hard and sat down upon the soft couch, where he poured himself a cup of tea from the crystal kettle on the table. 

Emmeryn came around and sat opposite from him in a chair. “So, your name is Robin?” He nodded. “Frederick has told me that you claim to have no memory of yourself, your origins, or where you were going when you happened upon my brother in Southtown, yet you earned his approval when you rescued our sister, and yet Frederick himself distrusts you, thinking you’re a Plegian spy sent to assassinate me.”

“Milady, I swear that is not my intention!” Robin retorted, but Emmeryn held up her hand to hush him. 

“I meant no disrespect, Robin. Tell me, what do you intend to do from here on?”

Robin finished his tea and set the cup and saucer down. “I dunno. I mean, I have no idea where I was going before I woke up on the side of the road, and honestly, now that these Risen have appeared, I feel like lending my skills to Chrom and his Shepherds.”  
Emmeryn smiled. “That sounds wonderful. I hope you prove to be a valuable asset to the Shepherds and that you one day recover your memories.” She finished her tea and set it down. “Over the years, I’ve learned when to trust people and when not to, almost as if I have a sixth sense about it,” she chuckled. “Robin, is there anything you wish to ask of me?”

“A few things. The symbol on your forehead, it’s signifies your birthright as the Exalt, doesn’t it?” he asked. “I’ve noticed Chrom has it on his shoulder, but I’m wondering if a birthmark like that is common for nobles.”

“Our sister Lissa does not bear an Exalt mark on her body, despite that she carries our blood, but yes, it is common for the Ylissean royal family to bear such marks. Why do you ask?”

Robin slipped off his right glove and held up his hand, revealing the purple insignia on it. “When I awoke up on the road, I found this imprinted on my hand. I have no idea what it is or what it means, but after meeting you and Chrom, it makes me wonder if I am royalty to some kingdom.”

Emmeryn did well to hide her shock as she recognized the Mark of Grima upon Robin’s hand, but her mind was swarming with new thoughts. ‘So Robin is destined to become Grima’s vessel and yet he has no idea of who he truly is or what this means. Should I be honest with him? Could he really be lying about losing his memory?’ Emmeryn bought herself time to think by taking Robin’s hand in hers, running her fingers over the mark. 

“Milady?”

“Forgive me.” She swept her fingers over the mark once more. “This mark is that of Grima the Fell Dragon, one of the divine dragons worshipped by the Grimleal in Plegia,” she explained.

“So what does this make me?” Robin asked with worry.

Emmeryn swallowed hard, debating her choices yet again. “It does not mean you are a Plegian royal, that I’m sure, but it could mean that you are or were one of the Grimleal and worshipped the Fell Dragon in the past. Perhaps you had this tattooed upon your skin as a sign of devotion.”

“But does that make me a bad person? Didn’t the Fell Dragon once nearly destroy the world a thousand years ago? Is the Fell Dragon not the wings of despair that would bring calamity and destruction?” Robin retorted.

“That he is, but it does not make you a bad person. Whoever you were before you met Chrom knowing nothing has nothing to do with the Robin I am speaking to right now. You are Robin, a Shepherd of Ylisse.” She withdrew her hands away and went to her dresser. “I’ve always believed that we are the masters of our fate, that we are not bounded by our past or who we are born to be.

“My father, who ruled Ylisse before I, nearly destroyed this country by dragging our kingdom into senseless bloodshed and war with our neighboring kingdom of Plegia. It was only when he perished in battle that I saw my chance to save both our kingdoms, but it proved to be a difficult task; my people were wary of me ruling despite I was not of age yet, and I was the daughter of a man who practically taxed them into poverty and sent their husbands and sons to pointlessly die. In time, my people welcomed me as their ruler and realized how different I was from my father, but King Gangrel of Plegia still wants retribution for my father’s evils, and his only demands is to see me and my people slaughtered like animals.” She turned to him. “You see how my past is still hanging on me because of him, and yet I refuse to let it determine the legacy I wish to leave behind, and you should do the same, regardless of whether you’re a Plegian or not.”

Emmeryn came back with a pair of wrist guards made of black cloth and leather braces in hand, which she handed to Robin. “Here, consider this a welcoming gift from me for your introduction into the Shepherds. They’ll cover up the Grima Mark on your hand even without your gloves on, but Robin, don’t believe you can hide it forever. When you feel most comfortable revealing it to your allies, don’t hesitate, else it break your bonds with them. I’ve found over the years that the bonds I’ve made with my allies and friends can be my greatest power, for I can always rely on them.”

“Thank you, lady Emmeryn, really.” Robin accepted the gift and slipped them onto his wrists, adjusting them in place before slipping his gloves back on.

“I pray that you prove to be a valuable ally to Chrom.” She waved him goodbye, but when he had exited, her smile faltered and was replaced with worry. ‘Did I make the right choice? If Grima’s vessel has been chosen, then his revival is on the horizon. Did I doom this world by putting him so close to Chrom?…’ Emmeryn glanced at the Shield of Seals hanging upon the fireplace mantle, which held the white jewel Argent within it, the other four jewels missing. ‘…No, I will trust that Robin can challenge the fate he was born with and carve his own path…’

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

Ever since her meeting with Chrom and Robin, Lucina made her way north to Ferox. There, under the guise of Marth, she entered the Ferox Arena to test her abilities to serve among Basilio’s champions for the upcoming tournament to determine which of Ferox’s two Khans, Basilio and Flavia, should rule over the kingdom. When Lucina met with Basilio, she challenged his current champion, Lon’qu, in the hopes of replacing him, knowing that Chrom will side with Flavia and that she must become the ruling Khan if Ferox were to lend their strength to Ylisse against the Risen. 

Lucina stepped out into the arena alone, and opposite her was Lon’qu, looking as stoic and unfazed as he often is with a katana sheathed at his hip. She took a deep breath, adjusted the butterfly mask on her face, and drew her Falchion.

Lucina remembered that one time she watched Lon’qu helping Severa form a fighting stance similar to his own, when she was a little girl, only about ten years. Severa laughed and wobbled about as she tried to maintain her balance while her father fiddled with her arms and would spread her legs. “You would always want to keep your sword cross before you, allowing you to be able to quickly strike, but also able to quickly defend yourself if need be,” Lon’qu instructed her. “Yes, like that!” Severa beamed at having earned his approval.

“I can do this. I know his fighting style, and in this time, he’s not as powerful as the Lon’qu from my time,” Lucina told herself.

Lon’qu glared the mysterious swordsman down as he drew his killing edge katana and took position. Just like in the future, he still crosses his sword in front of him to assume an offensive and defensive pose, Lucina thought as she drew her Falchion. ‘I have to win so father can gain Ferox’s support.’

Lucina dashed forward with her sword at her side. As she drew close, she and Lon’qu clashed blades, with Lon’qu’s free hand backing his sword for added pressure. He pushed her backwards and regained his standing. Lon’qu followed up with a flurry of quick strikes, all of which Lucina either blocked or avoided, wherein she followed up with a quick stab. 

The two continued on for several minutes, refusing to give in, swords clanging against each other amidst the shuffling of feet. Lucina began growing exhausted as time droned on, but Lon’qu remained fighting fit. She attempted to sweep kick him as he drew forward, but it resulted in Lon’qu tripping and falling on top of her. Upon landing, Lucina found Lon’qu’s free hand had found its way onto her breast when he tried to catch himself. Her mouth fell open in an inaudible gasp and her cheeks flushed a deep red, though not as red as Lon’qu’s cheeks, who was quick to jump off and scurry away. Lucina jumped back to her feet, but she noticed that Lon’qu seemed agitated; he was shaking all over and his stance was inferior to before. ‘What happened to him? He’s completely different from before, but why…!’ It dawned on her. ‘I remember now…Robin would always talk about his shyness towards women, at least until he introduced him to Cordelia…he found out I’m a woman…’ 

Lucina smirked, knowing now that her victory was well-assured. She stepped forward with her blade raised backwards and struck Lon’qu in his chest with its blunt side, followed by a sweep kick to trip him, where she then pointed the blade at his throat. “Yield,” she ordered, to which he dropped his sword.

After Lon’qu had retreated to his quarters, Lucina was approached by Basilio, who opened a proposal for her to act as his champion for the upcoming tournament of the Khans, of which Lucina did not hesitate to accept.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

The next day, far to the south, Chrom and company (with the exception of Maribelle, who had to return home to attend to affairs) had gathered supplies and carts and began the trek north towards Ferox, and the journey began smoothly, though before they even left Ylisse’ borders, the Shepherds encountered a lonely pegasus, who was grounded due to an injured wing.

Chrom and Robin tried approaching the fair beast, but any time they drew near, the pegasus would loudly neigh and swing its front legs at them, forcing them to withdraw.

“Captain, allow me!” spoke Sumia, who came forward with her hand stretched out. The pegasus ruffled its wings, but it remained calm long enough for her to draw close and pet it. “See, pegasi are always hostile towards men, so they prefer a woman’s presence.”

“I’m impressed. I never took you for a pegasus caretaker, Sumia,” Chrom remarked.

“Please, it’s not that difficult, it’s about the same as caring for any horse.” She asked Lissa to come over, where the young cleric went to work with her staff to heal the pegasus’ wing. “There, that should do it, but she’ll still need some tending to do.” Sumia turned to Chrom. “Captain, with your permission, I wish to stay behind for a while to take care of her; I’ll catch up to you later.”

“Well, if you must, I shall allow it, but don’t dally too long, alright?” Sumia flashed Chrom a thumbs up and the Shepherds continued on without her.

A few hours later, as the afternoon sun hung in the sky, the Shepherds found their way to Ferox’s borders, but the scouts ahead returned to warn them of a large group of Risen that was congregating the area ahead. From there, they set up a temporary camp, where Chrom met with Robin and Frederick to discuss plans. “With the Risen ahead of us, we cannot waste time going around them, and with those numbers, they’ll become a problem for the nearby villages.”

“I’ll go prepare our Shepherds for battle, milord.” Frederick took his leave, leaving Robin alone with Chrom.

“The scouts confirmed that the Risen are ordinary foot soldiers, in comparison to bandits and such, I mean. They wield common swords, axes, and spears, but they reported a couple Risen dressed as the mages of the Ylissean army, so I suspect that these undead warriors also cover magic-users too,” Chrom told his friend.

Robin listened to his lord, but in his head, he was thinking of a strategy to defeat these creatures. Many various battle techniques and pairings of combat units swirled through his mind, and within a minute, he was seeing tactics that would lead to a slim victory with his fellow allies wounded, and a few with some dead, but he soon thought of one that allowed everyone to live. “Chrom, if I may, I will direct everyone in battle against these Risen.”

“Hm? Are you sure?”

“I don’t know how, but I seem to have studied strategies and tactics in the past, before we met. Just from the little knowledge I have gathered, I’ve formulated a strategy for us, one that will ensure that every one of our allies survives with minimal wounds, and if I can see these Risen on the field, I should be able to improve my strategy.”

“You continue to surprise me, Robin. Very well, I shall allow you to command our troops for battles.”

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

The Shepherds all gathered on the field before the Risen as per Robin’s orders, weapons and tomes at the ready. “Do not let your guard down, everyone,” Robin warned them. “We don’t know what the Risen are fully capable of.”

The Risen did not waste time in noticing their presence, and with growls that sounded like dying men, they set themselves upon the Shepherds. Per Robin’s orders, Virion let loose a barrage of arrows in rapid succession, to which Miriel ignited their heads in fire before they burrowed into the Risen and the ground while she in turn rained fire down upon the first wave, setting them ablaze and scurrying in pain, allowing their cavaliers Frederick, Stahl, and Sully to charge in, where they sped past the Risen with lances skewering them before they turned around and returned to rank. “Vaike, your turn, but don’t get cocky!”

“Class is in now in session for you undead freaks!” Vaike cheered as he raced towards a Risen with his axe raised. The Risen blocked his first strike with its shield. “Damn! Looks like you’ve had lessons before, but it’s not enough for Teach!” Vaike swung his foot into the Risen’s stomach before driving his axe into its neck, making it disappear into black smoke.

“He’s already acting cocky…I’ll have to watch over him…” Robin noted. “Miriel, stay with Vaike and make sure he doesn’t die!” Miriel bowed before heading to Vaike’s side, where she kept him covered. 

“Excuse me, Mister Robin? What would you like me to do?” came a voice from beside the tactician. 

Robin let out a yelp. “Kellam? When did you––?”

“I’ve always been here, but it seems no one notices me that much…” moaned the young man. Robin found his statement to be perplexing, given how he was coated in heavy steel plate armor, but that was a curiosity for another day.

“Kellam, I’ll need you to lead the charge. Keep our units protected while they cover you, and don’t worry, Lissa will keep you healed up, okay?” Kellam saluted and grabbed his spear, where he charged headlong into battle, taking down a Risen in one strike.

“Robin, don’t forget to join in!” called Chrom as he struck one Risen and blocked another’s strike.

“Don’t worry, Chrom, I don’t intent to just sit back and watch the fun happen!” Robin flipped through his spellbook––as his sword magically hung in midair––before setting on an excalibur spell, which he used to tear apart several Risen.

“Just leave some for the rest of us!” Robin joined Chrom’s side as the two fought the Risen before them in perfect synchronization. Soon, the last of the Risen were defeated, earning the Shepherds a victory, to which they collectively cheered.

“Well done, everyone, but I would like to say that I believe this victory goes to Robin, for without his help, I feel that this would’ve been a hard-won victory instead,” Chrom announced.

“Chrom, please.” Robin turned to everyone. “Everyone, you’ve all fought well. This victory goes to you more than it would to me.”

Everyone returned to camp, where they packed up and went on their way, with Chrom eager to reach Regna Ferox before nightfall. As they traveled on, Robin’s horse caught up to Chrom’s. “You’re quite the humble man, Robin, however I did mean what I said by that victory belonging to you. If we didn’t have your knack for strategies with us, that battle would’ve dragged on longer, and perhaps, we might’ve lost a few good men.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t see the point of praising just one man over so many,” Robin remarked.

“True, one man cannot claim victory on his own, but one man is enough to decide the difference between victory and defeat, and, if you would accept, I’d like to name you tactician of the Shepherds. We can use someone with your talents, especially in the war with Plegia.”

The two were silent for a moment, the only sounds around them being nature, the horses, and the wagons. Until… “Do you know why your father went to war with Plegia?” Chrom looked away, of which Robin realized that he brought up something painful to him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“I don’t know why…” Chrom started. “He kept his reasons to himself. Many have speculated different reasons, such as wanting to expand Ylisse’s borders, or that he wanted Plegia’s riches and commodities, but none of them make sense, given that Plegia is a desert kingdom with their only worth being their ships, though we’ve had no need for such things in ages, even before the war.

“However, I remember the devotion my father had towards invading Plegia even when I was a child. The way his ultimate goal to invade Plegia Castle felt more like he wanted something that Plegia had that they wouldn’t just give him, even at the cost of thousands of innocent lives…you ever wanted something so badly you’d give up anything to get ahold of it? That’s the look my father had, and it scared the three of us growing up.” Chrom fell silent again. 

“Chrom, I promise that I will help you and Emmeryn end this war with Plegia however I can.” 

Chrom gave his thanks and the group continued on. A few hours go by, and the Shepherds find themselves in the freezing lands of Ferox, forcing them to don the warm coats they packed. It was at that time that Sumia returned to them, now flying upon the pegasus. It took but a few hours for the castle of Ferox to appear in the distance over the treetops, and after a lengthy discussion with the guards with proof of themselves being royal Ylissean, the Shepherds were allowed in, where while their troops were ushered to the barracks to rest, Chrom, Robin, Frederick, and Lissa were taken to the throne room to await the arrival of the East-Khan.

“I shall handle everything that needs to be said to the khan when they arrive, so don’t fret about not knowing what to say or do concerning politics,” Chrom informed his friends, which made Robin give a deep sigh of relief. “Don’t feel so bad, Robin. Politics with the Feroxi is quite simple as they often prefer the thrill of battle over it, or even just battle in their politics.”

“When you put it like that, I wonder what this khan is like. Like, some bulking warrior with muscles and chest hair, and strength that could shatter trees to splinters.”

“Oh, really? Please, do continue with your description of me,” said a voice from behind Robin, making him jump in place. They found themselves greeted by Flavia, the East-Khan of Ferox.

“Oh! I mean––that’s not what I…” Robin stuttered until Flavia held up her hand to silence him.

“Relax, I know you meant no ill will by your words,” she laughed before moving to Chrom. “Milord, forgive me if my guards gave you any trouble proving your identity at the gate. We’ve recently had Plegian soldiers come around disguised as Ylisseans trying to stir up trouble between our two kingdoms, though they were fools to think they could best us in battle.”

“I bet you gave them quite a thrashing, didn’t you?” Lissa whooped.

Flavia smiled. “I’d say so. I was glad to be there to thwart their plans, and yes, I made four of them regret drawing their swords on me.” That made Lissa giggle with delight.

“I’m sorry for the troubles, but I have to ask, have you seen the Risen that’s been plaguing our lands as of late?” Chrom interjected.

“Risen? I assume you mean those weird man-like creatures that have been showing up lately.” Chrom nodded. “We’ve came to refer to them as Freaks, simple as that, but yes, they have been wandering into the Feroxi lands as of late, but they’ve yet to cause any serious trouble to our people, but that can change soon.”  
“Milady…” 

“Don’t give me those fancy titles. Flavia will suffice just fine.”

“Flavia, I’ve come asking Ferox for their aid. With our ongoing war with Plegia, we need extra soldiers to combat this new Risen threat, and with soldiers the likes of Ferox, we know our outlining villages and towns will be better protected. In return, our Exalt, Emmeryn, is willing to trade with Ferox any goods or services they may need and to establish closer ties with the nation as well.”

“I like your style, Chrom, trying to offer whatever you can for our services, like we’re a bunch of mercenaries…No, no, don’t say anything, I know that’s not what you meant, but look, we Feroxi love the thrill of battle, so you promise us some action with these Risen, then I can lend you troops. Well, I would, but I don’t have the authority.”

“But I thought you were the khan?” went Lissa.

“I am, but right now, Basilio, the West-Khan, has current domain over Ferox’s politics, ever since Lon’qu won the last tournament for him. Every few years, Regna Ferox hosts a tournament to determine which khan gains command over the land and its politics until the next tournament. I don’t know if Basilio will give you the troops you need, but if you wish, you can help me out by winning the next tournament in my name, which is starting up in a few days from now.”

“Forgive me for interrupting, but shouldn’t you be fighting for rule over Ferox?” said Robin.

“We khans always hire outsiders for our fighters in the tournament. It’s more entertaining for the crowd to see non-Feroxi combat styles in action.”

“If this is the only way to secure us troops, then I accept your proposal. If you can just provide my Shepherds housing and meals till then…”

“I’ll have some arranged for them,” Flavia answered before he could finish.

From there, everyone dispersed, where they were taken to their rooms and chose to relax until the day of the tournament. That first night, while everyone remained in their rooms, Lissa went out wandering, wanting to see how different the architecture in Ferox was compared to Ylisse’s. While wandering around, she came upon a small courtyard, where she spotted Marth alone whacking at a metal training dummy with his sword. Even from across the courtyard, Lissa could make out the Falchion enclosed in the mysterious swordsman’s hands, and yet, she cannot believe that his blade can look so much like Chrom’s Falchion. ‘It has to be a copycat. A fake. I mean, there’s only one Falchion in the world…’ Lissa watched Marth a while longer, but as she continued watching, she noticed how familiar his movements looked. Soon enough, her mind clicked and conjured an image of Chrom overlapped onto Marth, and she realized that Marth’s fighting style was extremely similar to her brother’s. Lissa hid herself behind a pillar for a moment and when Marth had his back to her, she took off for her quarters again.

When Lissa returned, she went to Robin, telling him what she saw. “I dunno about you, but something feels kinda off about Marth. I mean, why on earth is he here, and why does he have a replica of the Falchion? I don’t want to believe he’s up to something, especially after he saved my life, but there’s a nagging feeling in my head telling me there’s more to him than we think,” she finished.

Robin himself was pouring over a notebook of information regarding the Shepherds and their current resources and funding, of which Chrom provided him to help him become adequate with his new role as their tactician, but he was willing to stop to listen to the little princess. “Well, I don’t think Marth is a threat to us, but I can look into it if it’ll put your mind at ease.”“Thanks, Robin!” And with that, Lissa ran off for her room. 

The next day, Robin went to one of Ferox’s local training areas, where he found Marth whacking at a practice dummy. He stood nearby and watched him, though the mysterious swordsman was too focused on his training to notice the tactician, at least not until he had finished working up a sweat.

When Lucina spotted Robin, she was quick to look away in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing red, but hidden by her butterfly mask. “Your swordsmanship is quite impressive, Marth,” said Robin.

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

“Though I’m curious about your sword. It looks the same as Chrom’s. Mind if I know where you got such a fine blade from?”

Lucina herself sheathed the blade at her hip, keeping her hand tight around its hilt. “I got it from my father…” was all she told him.

“I imagine he must’ve thought highly of the Exalted family to forge a blade after the one of legend, and for you to be named after the Hero King as well. By the way, thanks again for saving Lissa the other day.”

Lucina kept her gaze from Robin still. “It was nothing, really. She was in danger, I was there, so I saved her.”

“So, what brought you to Ferox, Marth?”

Lucina was silent for a moment, searching for a lie to tell. “I’m hoping to find some lost friends to help me find the man who murdered my father…” ‘Okay, not exactly a lie…’

“Do you know who killed him?” Robin took a step closer to Lucina, but stopped when he saw Lucina flinch at his footstep.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

I can remember that day so well. It was the one day that the world changed for me. I remember being but a child then, and I heard word that the Shepherds had returned from Plegia, but father was not with him, despite that they had all left together. I was escorted down to the courtyard by a servant as I hastily fastened a cloak around my shoulders. I ran into mother along the way and we made our way outside, where we were greeted by Robin, who had his hood up over his face, and he was surrounded by the other Shepherds and soldiers who had gone with him, but they all wore sad faces. I noticed his massive coat was in shreds, but most of all, he had father’s Falchion at his hip.

I raced for him, where I leapt into his arms and he hugged me tight. “Are you alright?” I asked him.

“I’m fine,” he said with uncertainty in his voice. “Are you alright?”

“I’m okay…where’s father?” I glanced back and forth, hoping that he would appear in my eyesight. “Where’s father?!”

“He’s…not coming back…” Robin mumbled.

“Why? Why isn’t he coming back? What happened?”

Robin put his hands onto my shoulders and pulled me in tightly. Now so close to him, I could hear him whimpering. “A friend he trusted betrayed him. I’m sorry…I didn’t realize it until it was too late, otherwise I could’ve saved him…” 

My tears grew heavy and my arms reached around and hugged Robin tighter. “It’s…it’s not your fault…” 

Robin released me and he untied the Falchion from his belt and handed it to me. “Father’s sword…” I muttered and I heaved the mighty blade in both arms.

“You’re the Exalt now, Lucina. I have the upmost faith that you will become a great Exalt, greater than your father ever was…I have to go now…”

“What?! You’re leaving?! You can’t leave, Robin!”

He patted my head and ruffled my hair. “I’m sorry, Lucina. I would stay, but I am going to find your father’s killer and I intend to bring him to justice.” He took two steps towards his horse, which had been outfitted with some food and supplies while we spoke, but he stopped when he heard me drop the Falchion to the ground with a loud THUMP, where I then leapt and latched myself onto him.  
“I DON’T CARE! JUST DON’T LEAVE ME! I CAN’T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU! I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO AS THE EXALT! PLEASE, ROBIN! PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!” I shrieked at him, my tears soaking his coat.

Robin stopped to take me back into his arms again, but this time, he gave me a warm smile and wiped at my tears. “Don’t worry, I believe in you, Lucina, and remember, like I’ve always said, our bonds give us strength.” He reached down and kissed my forehead, even as I still wept. 

“I love you, Robin…” I finally choked out. I wanted him to know how I felt about him, but…“I love you too, Lucina. You’re like the daughter I never had, and if I had one, I would want her to be just like you.” He handed the Falchion back to me, this time, I clutched it tightly in both arms.

“Robin, will you ever come back?” I asked him.

“I…I don’t know…” He glanced away, and I knew how unsure he was.

“…Will I ever see you again?”

He gave me another smile, but this one seemed so unsure as well. “You will. I promise.”

He mounted his horse and rode outside the gates. I never saw him again.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

“All I know is that someone he trusted killed him and that person had fled soon after. I was still young at the time, but after I had shed all my tears and hugged my mother until I had to be pried from her hips, I began training with the sword, all for the day that I find him and kill him.” Lucina took in a long, deep breath. “Forgive me, Robin, I must go.”

Lucina had only taken a few steps before Robin spoke again. “Marth, know that I can help you should you ever need it.” She stopped dead in her tracks.

“I don’t even know you.”

“I don’t even know that much about myself, but I can tell if someone is trustworthy, and I can tell you have your reasons for hiding your identity behind that mask…” Lucina flinched in shock. “…It’s pretty obvious that you aren’t who you say you are, but know that if you ever need help, you can come to us Shepherds. Good night.” With that, Robin left for his room.

After he had disappeared, Lucina removed her mask and wiped at her tears. ‘Thank you, Robin, really. Even though you don’t know me in this time, you’re still so kind to me.’ 

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

The day of the tournament came, and the Shepherds all gathered in the arena before a boom crowd that filled every seat in the building. Everyone had cheered when they were ushered into the arena, and each of them felt a sense of nervousness with so many people before them. “Remember, everyone, our victory will reward us with an alliance with Ferox,” Chrom reminded them.

Everyone was outfitted with the best weaponry that the Shepherds’ budget allowed, and all of them were gathered around Robin, who’s lips poured out many strategies for them to use in the upcoming battle. He drifted over them all, pointing at them and mimicking fighting movements to give them an idea of what they could try in battle.

“Chrom, look!” cried Lissa, who interrupted Robin to point towards the other side of the arena, where Khan Basilio’s chosen champions stood prepping for the battle. Among them was Marth, garbed in his blue clothes, butterfly mask, and with the replica Falchion at his belt. 

“So he’s here too…” Chrom muttered.

“Chrom, you and I shall fight Marth ourselves; a talented swordsman like that would be too much for any of the other Shepherds,” Robin instructed.

“Understood.” Chrom relayed the news to everyone else while Robin skimmed through his spellbook to take note of which spells he had at his disposal.

Soon, both khans came out to address everyone from atop a decorated stand. “Welcome, everyone, to the Feroxi tournament!” boomed Basilio, who had Flavia standing beside him. Everyone erupted into applause until Basilio held up both hands, initiating complete silence. “Today, we shall decide which khan takes leadership of Ferox, Basilio, I, of the West, or Flavia of the East! We have chosen our champions who will fight for us, so let’s not waste any time! Champions, begin!”

“Always cutting to the chase, as usual, you big oaf,” Flavia mumbled before taking her seat. ‘Good luck, Shepherds.’

Both teams wasted no time in drawing their weapons and beginning their attack on each other. The Shepherds were able to easily handle Basilio’s champions, who were actually hired mercenaries, and against the specially-trained Shepherds, they were quick to fall, though a few who carried reputations prior to the tournament, proved to be challenges. The ones that remained kept the Shepherds busy while Chrom and Robin approached Marth, who had avoided fighting anyone up to that point.

Despite their conversation from prior nights ago, Robin was not willing to go easy on the swordsman, and neither was Marth, who drew his Falchion and swung it around his own body in an impressive fashion before gripping it with both hands and taking a stance. “Impressive moves. Who trained you?” Chrom called to him before drawing his own Falchion.

“My father!” Marth answered before dashing at Chrom with a stabbing strike, forcing him to block it with the flat of his blade. The two clashed together before Robin rushed in with his sword aimed for Marth’s back, who ducked and rolled out of the way before jumping back onto his feet. 

Robin flipped open his spellbook and unleashed three blades of wind onto Marth, who was quick to avoid them; as much as they needed to win, Robin did not want to seriously harm Marth. Robin let loose a blast of fire, forcing Marth to jump back while Chrom weaved through the flames to get close, where he dove at Marth and swung, cutting across Marth’s chest, tearing clothes and leaving a long cut, which bled a little, but not enough to be serious. Robin drew in close with sword in hand clashed blades with Marth, but he then pressed his open book to Marth’s chest and activated a small lightning spell, giving him a small shock that made Marth stagger. Robin jumped back and flipped to an ice spell, where with a slap to the floor, covered the floor in ice, making Marth lose his balance. “Now, Chrom!” Chrom slid across the ice on his knees towards Marth, who threw up his arms in self-defense, but instead of feeling cold steel pierce his body, an entire weight was thrown upon him, which turned out to be Chrom, which could not stop in time. However, the end result was still the same with Chrom pointing the Falchion’s tip at Marth. “Yield,” Chrom simply said. Marth relaxed and dropped his sword.

At that moment, the entire stadium erupted in applause and everyone lowered their weapons as one with their victory secured. The Shepherds gathered together and all collectively chose to bow to the audience. Out of the corner of his eye, Robin saw doctors rush to collect the wounded soldiers and the few that had died, and of them all, he saw Marth be taken away on a stretcher. ‘I hope he’ll be alright.’

Once the stadium had emptied and the Shepherds escorted back to the throne room, Flavia and Basilio came out to meet them. Despite losing his political seat, Basilio was surprisingly in good spirits, complimenting the Shepherds on their combat abilities and to Flavia for gaining rule over Regna Ferox again. Flavia promised Chrom her allegiance and her troops, a number of which will be accompanying the Shepherds back to Ylisstol, but first, she wanted them to attend to the Feast of the Khans, which is held every time a new Khan gains reign of Regna Ferox.

Everyone wasted no time in celebrating with each other and their new comrades, though some secluded themselves, such as Miriel, who kept her head low in a book, despite that Vaike repeatedly tried mingling with her, and Frederick, who remained close to his lord.

As for Robin, he sat on the far side of a table with his belly full and a mug of ale in hand, but despite the fun time he was having, his mind kept drifting to Marth. He saw Basilio pass by and he stopped the beast of a man to ask where Marth was taken to. “Don’t worry about him. His wounds weren’t serious, but our medics patched him up and he went back to his room to rest,” he told the young tactician.

Robin gave his thanks and headed to the personal quarters, where he found Marth’s room. He was about to knock, but he saw the door was slightly ajar. “Marth, it’s me, Robin. Are you alright? You left your door open…” he called as he entered. However, he froze in his tracks when he saw Marth unchanging before him, but the real shocker was Marth himself, or rather, herself, who’s naked body––save for a pair of white underwear––revealed a slim, yet athletic body adorned with multiple scars, a young woman’s face with royal blue eyes, and obvious C cup breasts on her chest. Marth’s face was frozen in open-mouth shock as well. The entire room was dead silent as both processed the situation.

Robin was the first to act, where he let out a gasp and spun around with his hood over his head. “I’m so sorry, Marth! I had no idea! Please dress yourself accordingly!”

Lucina was thankful that Robin had turned around, but she was still red with embarrassment that Robin had seen her half-naked. She hastily dressed in her trousers and a white tank top, figuring that dressing any further was pointless now that Robin knows who she is. “You…you can turn around now…” she mumbled. 

Robin turned around, but even with his hood up, Lucina could see that his face was beet red as well. “So…Marth…you’re a woman…” he mumbled. Lucina nodded. “I know you have your reasons for hiding your identity, like I said, but I didn’t think…”

“That Marth is a young woman?” she finished, to which he nodded. “I didn’t intend for you to find out the truth about me, I’m sorry.”

“So, um, is anything else you told me a lie?”

“Nothing else, I promise. I’m really trying to find my missing friends to help me find the person who murdered my father.” Robin looked upon her and he knew she was telling the truth, but he noticed something else about her. He walked over to her and brushed her hair out of her face, and in her left eye, he could see the Exalt mark making up her pupil. “You’re…Chrom’s sister…?” 

Lucina’s face fell in a frown. “Wait? You think I’m Chrom’s sister?”

“Well, what else could you be? I mean, you have an Exalt mark in your eye, you’ve got blue hair and eyes, and you and Chrom are about the same age…”

“I’m only eighteen, Robin, just a few years younger than father––!” She slapped a hand to her mouth, but it was too late.

“Wait, ‘father?!’ Chrom’s way too young to have a daughter your age! It’s impossible!”

‘No point in denying it now.’ “No, it would be impossible, not unless his daughter traveled through time…” Lucina looked up at Robin and her face told him she was being sincere. “…and my real name is Lucina…”

“Lucina…” 

“Please let me explain everything, and know that everything I will tell you is the truth…”

The two sat down upon the bed, where Robin threw his coat onto Lucina as she told him everything, going into great detail about the life-long battle she and her friends endured fighting against the ever-growing Risen, how Grima was eventually resurrected by the Grimleal with a human vessel, how Grima attacked and destroyed Ylisstol and the last remnants of humanity, save for her and her friends, and how they attempted to travel through time, hoping to save the world from destruction before it could even happen, and, while the memory was painful, she recounted of how the Robin from the future told her about Chrom’s death and gave her the Falchion.

When she had finished, Robin had his head in his hands, still trying to process everything she told him. She could tell that he was still finding it hard to believe. “So…you really came from the future hoping to change things for the better?” he soon asked. Lucina nodded. “In that case, I’m going to help you.”

“What? Robin, I can’t get you involved. I shouldn’t have told you any of this and I wouldn’t have if you didn’t walk in on me.”

“You said you’re trying to save the future, then why not join the Shepherds? We can use your knowledge of what’s to come and maybe we can get the upper hand in the war with Plegia…”

“Robin, I wasn’t even born until after the war ended! I know so little other than what was transcribed in our history records or what my friends have told me about their parents!”

“…Well, damn.” Robin bit at his fingernail. “What about your friends? You said they got lost in the time traveling tunnel thing, but is there any idea of where they could’ve gone?”

“I don’t know what happened to them all when we were separated. I don’t know where, or even when, they went, let alone if they survived…” Robin slapped his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

“I’m sure they’re alive, wherever they are.” He smiled, which in turn made her smile back.

“Yeah, I’m sure they are.” Lucina offered his coat back, which he threw back onto himself. “Robin, I’d rather Father not know about me; I don’t want him to have to worry on top of having to win the war with Plegia.”

“No problem, just remember to think about what I said. We could use a talented swordswoman like yourself, and like I said, what better way to avert the ruined future than to have your guidance on hand?” With that, Robin left her room and returned to the feast, leaving Lucina to ponder his offer.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

The next morning, before they were set to leave with the Feroxi soldiers in tow, the Shepherds were approached by Basilio, who offered him the services of his former champion Lon’qu as an ally. “Consider him my token of friendship between kingdoms, Kid!” he boomed at Chrom. “Lon’qu’s a quiet one, but when you need a reliable sword in battle, his is among the best Ferox has to offer.”

Lon’qu remained proud as he joined the ranks of the Shepherds, but he made a motion to place himself among the men alone. Lissa wandered over to get a look at him, making the brunet swordsman flinch at the sight of her. “Get back, woman!” he barked, making Lissa jump.

“Don’t worry about him, he takes time to warm up to.” From afar, Lon’qu spotted Olivia, a pink-haired dancer in service to Basilio and the Feroxi Theatre Troupe. She gave him a shy, weak wave goodbye, and he returned it, though he refused to meet her gaze.

“If that’s everything, it’s about time we head back home,” Chrom declared. 

“WAIT!” called a voice from afar. Everyone turned to see Marth rushing towards them with a backpack on and his butterfly mask still on his face. He stopped before Chrom and gave him a bow. “As offered by your tactician Robin, I request to join your company, Lord Chrom.”

“Well, if you truly wish to join us, then I shall allow it. Welcome aboard, Marth.” Marth gave a hasty salute before joining their ranks. As they began to leave, Chrom clasped Robin’s shoulder. “Next time, let me know when you try to recruit new Shepherds, okay buddy? When did you talk to him about joining us?”

“Last night,” Robin answered. “I went to check on Marth after the tournament and we talked a little; he’s trying to find the man who murdered his father when he was young, and I suggested he join us so we can help however we can.”

“I don’t suppose you got to see what he really looks like last night, did you?”

Robin shrugged. “Sorry, he was still wearing the mask when I met with him, and he has his reasons for hiding his face, but he offers his allegiance to us and to help us win the war against Plegia.”

Chrom let out a long sigh. “I just hope you’re right about him.” Chrom went on ahead to meet with Lissa and Sumia while Marth hung back at Robin’s side.

“I’m glad you took up my offer,” Robin beamed.

“As am I, and I have you to thank, but so long as I’m with the Shepherds, I will wear my mask and ask that you refer to me as Marth, okay?” Lucina warned him. Robin gave her a thumbs up and it made her chuckle. 

From up ahead, Lissa glanced back and noticed how friendly Robin and the mysterious Marth were acting towards each other.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

At that moment, on the southern corner of the western continent of Valm, there was a tiny village called Ram. The farmers all woke up at the crack of dawn to tend to their fields, the children sprang out of bed to play, and the housewives gathered their buckets to draw fresh water from the well in the center of town, but things were different this day. 

When the first of the housewives arrived at the well, she found two young twins unconscious at the base of the well. A boy and a girl, both of teenage years, had matching royal blue hair and both wore similar outfits consisting of tunics and boots, and both wore black coats adorned with purple Plegian eyes. On the boy’s hip was the Falchion of Ylisse.

The remaining housewives soon appeared and all of them expressed concern over the twins. They marveled over their outlandish garb and birthmarks as they wondered what happened for them to fall asleep directly at their well until the boy suddenly awoke. He lifted himself up with a groan as he rubbed at his head, then he turned to his sister. “Morgan…Morgan, wake up…we made it…” he moaned as he shook her.  
A groan escaped Morgan before she too opened her eyes and sat up. Like their hair, both of them shared deep blue eyes. She let out a long yawn while stretching her arms, but she suddenly snapped to attention. “Marc! We made it! We actually made it! I remember seeing mother as we traveled through the gate, before we were separated!” she burst out before her brother could calm her down. 

“I know, I saw her too. At least we know we traveled across time successfully, at least, right to the time when she and the young Shepherds traveled back in time as well. C’mon, we better get going.” Marc helped his sister to her feet and the two made their way through the housewives, ignoring their presence completely, until they stopped in their tracks. “Crap, we’re going to need food and supplies if we’re going to find mom and father.”

After a short trip to the village’s farmer’s market and buying packs of fruits and dried meat, as well as buying some bed rolls, the twins headed out on the road. After Ram Village disappeared in the distance, Morgan unrolled a piece of parchment from her coat pocket, which served as a map of the world with certain parts circled in ink. “After getting info from those villagers, I found that we landed somewhere in the far south of Valm, but this can work for us; thanks to mother, we know of the places where she and the Shepherds found her friends. We can find them early and reunite with mother and father to help them!”

“I just hope that this all works out. I mean, it’ll be hard to convince the young Shepherds that we are Lucina’s children,” Marc warned her.

“Oh, c’mon! It’ll be easy if we just flash these at them!” she chirped while waving her left hand at him, which bore the Exalt mark upon it. Marc stared at his own Exalt mark on his right hand and let out a sigh. 

“Well, it might help, but keep in mind that they traveled across time and space from a world where we don’t exist, so it’ll be a bit of a shocker for them.”

Morgan let out a hearty laugh. “Yeah! They traveled across time and space to save the world from certain ruin while we came from an alternative universe where the young Shepherds of another world traveled across time and space to successfully save the world…at least until it all went to Hell less than a year ago, by our time, I mean.”

“If I didn’t know you, I would be incredibly bewildered by what you said.” He gave his sister a smile as the two continued their journey north. “So, who should we recruit first?”

“Well, according to my map, the closest Shepherd is Gerome, but given our predicament, I think a quick detour to the east of Wyvern Valley to meet Owain at the Sage Hamlet would be the better option,” Morgan droned on.

“Agreed. I mean, knowing the Owain from our world would believe us more than Gerome would, and having Owain with us will help convince the others.”

“We’ve got a long road ahead of us…” Marc groaned.

“Woohoo! Time for an adventure across time and space!” whooped his sister.

‘At least she is staying chirper about our predicament.’

With that, the Exalted twins’ adventure finally began.


	3. Marc and Morgan’s Journey Begins

Chapter 3

It took Marc and Morgan nearly two days to reach the Sage’s Hamlet, of which they both rushed, hoping to gain an early start in their journey in reuniting the young Shepherds. Before they officially entered the gates, however, the twins took a moment to consider how they should approach Owain and explain the situation.

“Okay, suffice to say, we should show him our Exalt brands, but I fear it might not be enough,” Marc told his sister. “You have the picture of Lissa at her wedding?”  
“Yup! I’ve got pictures of everyone!” Morgan reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a bundle of developed photos; courtesy of an Anna and her picture box from years ago. Morgan pulled out Lissa’s photo out of the bunch and put them all back in her pocket. “Hopefully this will be enough to prove ourselves.” With that done, the twins entered the hamlet. 

The Exalted twins felt as though they had entered another realm when they stepped through the gates. The village was abounded in many gardens that held flowers and herbs of all kinds, the houses were built specifically for healers and carried a certain elegance about them, and the entire village carried a warm air, as if you could feel safe within it. The twins made their way around as young clerics bustled about with baskets of healing herbs focusing on their medicinal duties rather than the matching-garbed twins.

“Owain! Where are you?! Owain!” Morgan called out, her hands cupped around her mouth. “OWAIN! WE’RE HERE!”

Complete silence for a moment, until… “Aha! So, admirers of the Great Owain Dark have arrived!” came a voice from above them, earning their attention as well as a few passing clerics, who all released tired sighs seeing who it was again. 

“Seventeenth time since he showed up…” grumbled a passing cleric.

From atop a house stood Owain in his signature yellow tunic with a sword on his hip. “Such are the whims of fate that they bring traveling youngsters to bask in my glory as I sing them songs of my grand adventures!” With a huff, he leapt into the air and landed on both feet without a hitch. “Welcome to the Sage’s Hamlet, wonderful fans! Allow me to tell you––!” Owain was caught off by Morgan, who launched herself onto her cousin.

“I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, OWAIN!” she screeched with glee, making Owain swing around in circles while she flies in the air. “YOU WON’T BELIEVE HOW HAPPY WE ARE TO SEE YOU, COUSIN!” Her grip slipped a little, allowing her to fly off and land on the ground, though Morgan was unaffected by it, still smiling from ear to ear. 

“It’s good to see you again, Owain,” Marc remarked in a calmer tone, his hand resting on the Falchion, which caught Owain’s attention.

“Aha, so you crafted yourself a Falchion replica after hearing of my lineage as the Exalt of Ylisse! Truly, you must greatly admire me!” Owain continued.

“Owain, this is the real Falchion, the same one that our mother Lucina and grandfather Chrom wielded!” Marc said sternly, making the blond go silent.  
“M-mother…? Lu-Lucina doesn’t have any children…” Owain’s theatrics finally ended and reality settled in.

“Not in this world or the ruined future you came from,” Morgan explained. “but we came from a world where you and your friends traveled across time and space and succeeded in saving the world from Grima.” Morgan brought out her collection of photos and pulled one out depicting Lucina and Robin at their wedding; Lucina was wearing a beautiful wedding dress while Robin was clad in a suit with a formal Plegian coat. “See, here’s our parents in our world.”

Owain took the photo to look at it. “Well, would you look at that…Lucy got married…” He glanced at Marc and Morgan, who showed him their Exalt marks. “…and you two have the Exalt brand as well…I guess you’re really my cousins after all.”

“You betcha! Oooh, I cannot wait until we reunite you with your mothers! Lissa and Maribelle are going to freak out at how you look!”

“Yes they…wait…mothers?!” went Owain.

Marc and Morgan gave him a puzzled glance. “Um, don’t you have two mothers in the world you came from?” Marc asked.

“I have two mothers?” Owain repeated with more confusion. Morgan handed him the reserved wedding photo, which depicted a young Lissa and Maribelle in matching wedding gowns and bouquets standing at the altar together. He stared at the photo in disbelief. “But-but how can this be?! How was I even born?! Does that mean Brady is my brother?!” That last question received a nod for an answer.

“Your mothers, according to their story, went to Mount Prism to ask Naga to bless them with a child, and in return for all they’ve done to defeat Grima in our world, Naga blessed them both with you and Brady,” Marc told him.

Owain stood there silently as he processed the fact that an Owain from another world was born via magic, but he merely smirked and handed the photo back. “Well, it’s not that much of a difference. Mother always thought that Henry used some kind of magic to make me the man I am today.”

“Wait, is your father…?”

Owain smirked. “Yup! Henry the Mischevious Plegian is my father!”

Marc and Morgan took a moment to process the mere idea of Lissa falling in love with such an unhinged man like Henry and the idea that Chrom even approved of them together. “Well, as much as remembering the good old days is nice, Owain, we’d like you to join us in reforming the separated Shepherd children,” Marc finally said.

“Of course! Owain Dark is at your service, Exalted twins!” he proclaimed, his theatrics returning again. He shook hands with the young Exalts. “Let’s reunite with everyone and return home to Ylisse!”  
The newly formed trio wasted no time in preparing for their journey towards the Wyvern Valley and they received a send off from the clerics (many of whom were happy to see the energetic swordsman leave). “So, what sort of incredible tales do you know of the Owain from your world?” the blond Exalt asked his newfound friends.

“Umm…well, from what mother told us, Owain has had many adventures, but his greatest one is where he traveled to a distant, fabled kingdom and ended a war between two feuding nations, where he fell in love with a young princess and came back with a daughter named Ophelia,” Morgan went on.

“I married a princess?!” Owain exclaimed with a big grin on his face. “How exciting! I wish I could meet the Owain of your world now!”

“That would be hard to do, since everyone from our world is dead…” said Marc.

“Yeah…it happened just a few months ago in our time,” Morgan explained. “Grima was revived nearly 20 years after his defeat by the Shepherds and you guys…” Her head fell towards the ground as her feet dragged onward. “…it all started when father was captured by Plegians, and when grandpa tried negotiating with them, we found out they killed him…” 

Marc took a deep breath and wiped at his eyes before continuing on for his sister. “Chrom wasted no time in waging war with Plegia, but it was then that the Grimleal succeeded in resurrecting Grima and from there, the Fell Dragon wasted no time in killing the Shepherds, including Chrom and Mother. We were the only two to survive as Mother wanted us to stay home at Ylisstol. Since then, we’ve been trying to survive on our own after running away, but eventually, Naga came to us and told us that we could make things right in another world, in another time.”

“Yeah, and this time, we’re going to use our knowledge of what we know to ensure mother and father fall in love again and find a way to destroy Grima for good!” finished Morgan.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

Not far from their position, a young woman dressed in green with a bow in hand was racing through the forest with several Valmese pegasus knights following behind her.

“YOU SHALL BURN IN FIRE AND BLOOD!” she screamed with rage as she quickly nocked an arrow and fired, where it whizzed through the trees, but hit nothing.

“YOU WANNA SAY THAT TO MY FACE, BITCH?!” yelled one pegasus knight as she swooped through the trees, her eyes set on the fleeing archer, who’s rage suddenly shifted to fear. 

“PLEASE DON’T HURT ME! I DIDN’T MEAN IT!” the girl cried as she tore through the trees with one pegasus knight close behind her. The knight raised her spear to strike when a blur appeared and struck her dead from her steed. 

“WHAT THE HELL?!” cried another pegasus knight before there was a blur and she was unseated from her steed as well. The blur stopped before the girl. 

“Ah-ha! Tremble before the great Owain Dark, for he spells your doom!” the swordsman boomed with his sword drawn.

“Owain?!” went the girl. 

“Yes, Noire, it is I!”

“Like you can take us all on on your own, little man!” yelled another knight, who was joined by several other pegasus knights.

“You assume that I am alone…” Owain smirked before several bolts of lightning struck the ground around the pegasus knights, frightening their steeds. 

“Now Marc!” cried a voice from the trees. From nearby, a rush of wind blew through carrying the young Exalt in it, who fell upon a pegasus knight, stabbing her with his Falchion.

“A Falchion…” Noire mumbled, confused by this newcomer.

“I’m here too!” Morgan ran out of the trees now, her spellbook opened and blades of wind erupting from her hands, striking down the other pegasus knights. 

“What the…” went Noire again as the last of the pegasus knights fell.

“Noire, you okay?” Owain offered his hand, which she took, lifting her off of the ground.

“Owain, you…” She went silent, instead throwing her arms around him in a hug. “…I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Hello, Noire!” went Morgan. Noire was surprised by the appearance of the two young Exalts, both garbed like Robin and one wielding the Falchion. “I know my brother and I must be quite a surprise for you, but we can explain.” And that they did, from how Marc and Morgan hail from another world and how they came to this alongside the young Shepherds to aide them in saving this world from Grima. 

They continued their journey towards the Wyvern Valley from then on after Noire accepted her newfound allies, and in less than a day later, they finally reached their destination. 

The valley was dotted with multiple little islands towering over an abyss shrouded in fog, each of them connected by sturdy bridges to the small town full of people that oversaw the care taking of the wyverns that congregated to the valley. After resupplying and gathering information, they discovered that, thanks to the Exalted twins’ map, Gerome and his wyvern Minerva were settled on one of the furthest standing islands, but they also learned that he had a companion: a blue-haired pegasus knight. For Noire and Owain, they knew exactly who this pegasus knight was.

They made their way across the bridges and islands and found Gerome (the twins were surprised to see that his hair was a brilliant pink, mirroring his mother’s) sitting with his back against Minerva, who was curled around his body. The two were sound asleep, but as soon as the young Shepherds approached, Minerva awoke and glared upon them, but relaxed when she recognized their scent, except for Marc’s and Morgan’s.

“Who are the two with you?” Gerome said aloud without notifying them that he was awake.

“Would you believe me if we told you they were Lucina’s children from another world that traveled across space and time to aid us in our quest?” Noire told him.

Gerome glanced over at the twins, who showed him their Exalt marks, but the rider merely hummed to himself. “Eh, I suppose so. I guess that means we’re going to find everyone else and return to Ylisse?”

At that moment, a brilliant white pegasus swooped through the air and landed upon the little island, and from atop, the young knight Cynthia, daughter of Sumia, descended, waving her royal blue hair out of her face. “Well, look who it is! Owain, Noire, and two people I don’t know. Hello, you two!” she chirped. Morgan, however, saw something upon the girl’s left shoulder and approached her, where she stretched her arm out and gazed upon the Exalt mark on her skin. “Um…what are you…”

“Marc, she’s got the Exalt mark!”

“Seems grandpa married Sumia instead of Cordelia in this world,” he remarked.

“Wait, Chrom married Cordelia in your world?!” went Owain.

“I’m sorry, who are these two?” Cynthia asked.

“How many times must we explain this?” Marc mumbled while rolling his eyes.

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

After a quick explanation, Cynthia and Gerome now understood Marc and Morgan’s side of the story, but when Cynthia proposed that they all head to Ylisse together to reunite with their parents, Marc and Morgan disagreed.

“We cannot go back to them, not yet, not when they’re still fighting the war with Plegia and burden them with us,” Marc told them.

“Not to mention how important we likely are in the war of Valm,” went Morgan. The others looked confused, to which Morgan went into her pack and pulled out a heavy book. “It’s detailed here in this history book from our time.” She flipped open the pages to a section detailing Lord Walhart’s conquest of Valm. “During this time period, Walhart’s conquest of Valm was hindered by an unknown band of soldiers. The book details that had these warriors not exist, Walhart would have conquered all of Valm quickly and move onto Ylisse before their war with Plegia had ended.”

“So you’re saying that we are these warriors?” Cynthia asked.

“And we have to spend the next 3 years fighting Walhart’s armies?” Gerome suggested.

“Pretty much.”

“YOU TWO ARE DERANGED AND SHALL PERISH IN FIRE!” Noire screamed for a moment before reverting back to her normal self. “Sorry! It just sounds so unbelievable, even after everything we’ve been through so far.”

“Marc, Morgan, must we really do this?” Owain asked them both. “What about our other friends? What about Lucina?”

Marc stepped forward. “We have a plan. With Cynthia and Gerome, I will head to Ylisse to find the other young Shepherds stranded there and return to Valm while you, Morgan, and Noire stay here to find the rest. It’s the only way to ensure our homeland is not invaded by Walhart so they can defeat Gangrel and make peace with Plegia.”

Owain chuckled before drawing his hand before his face. “And so we, the chosen heroes, are fated to fight against a conquerer! We must separate to reunite and we shall do it with the Exalted twins of another world! How exciting!”

( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

After gathering their gear together, the young Shepherds bid each other farewell with plentiful hugs. “You sure you’ll be alright over there in Ylisse?” Morgan asked her brother after hugging him.

“I’m the best option to go overseas, since I have the Falchion, plus, Owain and Noire will need your knack for tactics to help keep them alive while finding the others,” he told her, patting her head. “Good luck, sis.”  
“You too, Marc.”

With all said and done, Marc mounted Cynthia’s pegasus Est, the two took off into the sky with Gerome and Minerva, heading east for the sea.

Morgan, Owain, and Noire watched the pegasus disappear into the sky before they gathered their belongings and began the trek north, where Inigo and Brady are supposed to be, according to Morgan’s map.

In the sky, Marc held tightly onto Cynthia as Est flew through the sky. “You okay? You ever flew on a pegasus before?” she asked him.

“No…and I’m afraid of falling…” the Exalted prince mumbled, to which Cynthia giggled and had him hood his hands onto her hips. 

“Don’t worry! If you do fall, I’ll have Est catch you, so be sure to hold onto me!” They flew on and soon reached the sea. “So, you know which of my friends are on Ylisse’s continent and where they are, right?”

“Yeah, it’s all detailed on a map Morgan gave me! We only have but maybe half a year to gather everyone together to form the rebellion that would keep Walhart from invading Ylisse, so I want to start off by finding Nah first so we can get around with everyone much easier while avoiding Chrom, father, and the rest of the Shepherds as well! Just keep heading east until we pass Ylisstol!”

Cynthia nodded and gave Est a kick, spurring her on. By the time they reached the Ylissean continent, twilight had stretched across the sky, wherein they headed for the ground and set up camp. Marc started a fire and cooked some meat for the three of them plus their mounts and they watched the fire crackle and snap.

“So, you and Morgan are from another world? How can that be?” Gerome asked after much silence.

“We’re not sure, but Morgan may have figured out some kind of explanation through the texts of some insane old theorists that, basically, this world and our own world are but one of many worlds that exist in the universe,” he began to explain. He snatched up several small pebbles from the dirt and held them up. “Imagine that the world we currently are in is one pebble, the one Morgan and I came from is this one, and the ruined one you and the others came from is this one. They’re all the same, but there are notable differences. In yours, the world is destroyed, but this one we’re in has yet to be destroyed, for example.”

“Wait…I thought we traveled back in time?” Cynthia asked.

“I thought so too, but I began to wonder if Morgan’s theory was right when we learned about everyone’s parents being different…speaking of, who’s your father in the world you’re from?”

“Um, Chrom…” Cynthia answered.

“Wow, that’s definitely different than where we’re from. Grandpa married Cordelia in our world.” Cynthia’s eyes widened in surprise at this news.

“So who did my mother marry in your world?” Gerome asked as he ran his fingers through his orange hair that he inherited from Gaius.”“Cherche married Virion from where we’re from.”“Makes sense to me.” The young Wyvern Rider fixed his clothes and leaned against Minerva’s scaly body, where he soon fell asleep.

“So…are you saying that we can’t save the future? Is the world we escaped never going to recover?” 

“We can’t save the ruined world just as much as we couldn’t save our world, but we can save this world from the future yet to come, even if it all seems hopeless.” He gave her a comforting smile. “Mother, father, and all the Shepherds defeated Grima in our world, and while he ultimately was revived and destroyed everything, we have knowledge of the events yet to come, just as Lucina does. Morgan and I will do all we can to destroy Grima this time and save this world, but we need the Shepherds, mother, father, everyone.”

Cynthia returned the smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay by your side, and I know that the rest of our friends will do what they can to help you too. We share the same goals, after all.”

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On either sides of the world, with the few companions they have to aid them, the Exalted twins begin their mission to make history and save the world from the devastation from both their world and the world their mother and her friends came from.


End file.
